A posting of my weekend homilies, and others. Recently, there have been problems listening to my podcasts if you are using the *Chrome browser*. If you have tried and not been able to hear the message, try a different browser. If you missed an earlier homily, contact me, I probably still have the file. I welcome your comments: fejindra@gmail.com

Reading:
Revelations 5:12
Write:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.
Reflect:
Power – Baptism
Baptism is the power of God that breaks the power of sin and death in our lives.
Riches – Eucharist
The gift of the Eucharist is truly the richness of God pour out into our hearts.
Wisdom – Confirmation
We see and say in Confirmation that we received the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Strength -- Confession
In Confession, our strength is renewed and we are able to do the things that God calls us to do.
Honor and Glory – Priesthood and Marriage
These two are the Sacraments of Vocation. For those who accept either of these vocations, there is honor and glory that is placed on them, not by this world, but by God himself.
Blessing – Anointing of the Sick
The anointing of the sick is intended to renew, rejuvenate, and restore any Christian who is struggling to become a solid servant of God, usually when the struggle is a physical illness.
Now, I say this so that we can understand that the Sacraments are given to us so that we can approach God, through Jesus, in a way that includes us in the glory of God.
This section of the book of Revelation speaks about the glory offered to the Lamb that was slain – his triumph is supreme. Let me repeat and emphasize that phrase – his… triumph… is… supreme.
This section of the book of Revelation repeats these different glorification’s of God in different sets of words, but never different than the ones that were mentioned in our reading today.
This glorification of God is set before us just before we hear about the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven plagues. It is the Lamb who was slain, who receives all the glory of God, who is Jesus, who is the only one capable of opening the seals and releasing the seven plagues. Thus it is clear that he is the one who is in charge. He controls the destiny of everything.
Apply:
So, what does this all mean? Here we have the Lamb who was slain, and yet lives forever, who gives, through the sacraments, the ability for us to stand with him victorious in our lives and victorious in heaven.
We look at the world around us in our day and it is hard not to be pessimistic about what we see and experience in the way the faith is ridiculed and ignored.
But by the grace of God, and the gift of his sacraments, we are made one with the victorious Lamb who stands in glory. We stand in the glory of God because we are holding fast to what he has given us in the church and through the sacraments. We need not fear the stuff we hear around us. We need not fear the beasts of the book of Revelation. The only thing we need to fear is falling away from the sacraments and the grace of God. Jesus willingly gives us “power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing” so that we can stand with him victorious in the field of battle for the salvation of our souls.
Pray/Praise:
Lord Jesus, last week we were reminded that you told the churches in Revelations that whoever has ears to hear needs to listen. Help us today to hear the call to holiness that you have given us through the gifts of the sacraments. Help us to pursue your holiness with every ounce of our strength. Do not let us be weakened by what we hear around us, but let us be strengthened by hearing your words and your blessings given for our souls. Amen.